Catching Monsters

Chapter 441 Buddhist Assembly (Part 1)

Late at night, inside the Daling Buddhist Temple, there was an extremely luxurious palace.

The floor of this palace is entirely paved with expensive white jade, and the pillars inside are painted with several layers of gold lacquer. Red lanterns hang around the pillars.

This added an eerie touch to the entire palace. At the very top of the palace was a large chair, which was even carved with dragon patterns.

If this kind of thing were discovered in the capital, it would basically be a matter of eliminating nine generations of one's family.

At the same time, a man dressed in a black robe was sitting in this chair, his face gloomy.

Inside the spacious hall, Lu Yuling, who had returned from outside, stood respectfully below with her head bowed, like a child who had made a mistake, not daring to breathe loudly.

It should be noted that Lu Lingyu is a respected elder of the Demon Spirit Cult.

His status within the Demon Spirit Cult was extremely revered.

Of all the members of the Demon Spirit Sect, only the sect leader could command such an attitude from him.

Dan Tiangang.

Dan Tiangang's voice was slightly hoarse as he slowly said, "Lingyu, you handled this matter terribly this time. Not only did you fail to kill Xu Xiaogang, but you also allowed him to re-possess another body and recover his cultivation. It will probably take another one to two years."

"Right now, this is a crucial moment for our Demon Spirit Cult. It is a moment that determines whether we can overthrow the Zhou Dynasty and successfully find the Holy Tomb."

Lu Lingyu took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said respectfully, "Master, you may not know this, but that old emperor has placed a zombie of considerable strength next to Xu Xiaogang..."

Suddenly, a jet-black whip appeared in Shan Tiangang's hand and lashed out at Lu Lingyu's chest. The pain made Lu Lingyu gasp, and flesh and blood burst open.

But he quickly regained his balance and dared not cry out in pain.

He knew his leader's character all too well: Shan Tiangang was capricious and bloodthirsty.

If Shan Tiangang is truly angered, the consequences will be unimaginable.

After delivering the lash, Shan Tiangang slowly asked, "How many years have you been by my side?"

"If something isn't done well, it isn't done well. I don't like people making excuses."

"Furthermore, the strange and evil creature you summoned before you left was suddenly lured to Nanping City by experts from the Zhou Kingdom a few days ago, where it wreaked havoc."

"This caused the morale of the rebel army in Nanping City to plummet, and now they have been captured by Xu Xiaogang's Zhenchi Army!"

At this point, Shan Tiangang's eyes showed even more dissatisfaction.

The Demon Spirit Cult, of course, knew that those guys in Nanping City probably couldn't hold out.

But now, the rebel army has been cut off in half by the Zhenchi army, especially the rebels in the east, who will soon be wiped out due to lack of supplies.

"Your subordinate knows his mistake." Upon hearing this, Lu Yuling quickly admitted his mistake.

Dan Tiangang closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Alright, the people from the Fang family in the north have arrived."

"Another distinguished guest will be arriving early tomorrow morning."

"Dignified guest?"

"Wang Longzhi has sent people over," Shan Tiangang said in a deep voice. "We must make sure to receive the people sent by Wang Longzhi properly."

"Where is Yuan Huan?" Lu Yuling asked, feeling a little strange. Although they were both elders of the Demon Spirit Sect, their roles were quite different.

Most of the time, if distinguished guests came to visit, it was Yuan Huan who would greet them.

Lu Yuling was more responsible for matters concerning the rebel army.

"Yuan Huan originally accompanied Wu Ling to the capital to ambush and kill the family members of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"After Wu Ling was captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he prepared to rescue Wu Ling in the capital."

"As a result, Yuan Huan, for some unknown reason, suffered some kind of shock in the capital of Zhou, and became delirious, constantly talking about how Qu Wushang was still alive."

Upon hearing the name Qu Wushang, Lu Yuling below felt a slight jolt in her heart. She then shook her head and said, "Impossible. Qu Wushang died twenty or thirty years ago."

Dan Tiangang nodded slightly and said slowly, "I wonder what kind of shock he suffered in the capital."

"You will also be in charge of the Buddhist assembly tomorrow."

"You've made amends for your actions."

"As for Yuan Huan, although he is in better condition, he is not suitable to receive the distinguished guests sent by Wang Longzhi."

"Let him go and keep Young Master Xiang company tomorrow."

"Yes." Upon hearing this, Lu Yuling agreed without hesitation, as the Buddhist Association was a very important part of the Demon Spirit Sect.

The most important thing was to raise funds for military expenses.

Although the Demon Spirit Cult has been operating in Nanjin Province for nearly three hundred years, its wealth is astonishing.

However, after the rebels actually started their uprising, the Demon Spirit Cult provided them with continuous supplies from behind the scenes, and they then realized just how expensive it was to support a large army.

It's practically a bottomless pit of money.

The amount of food consumed by the rebels in a single day is astronomical.

The entire Zhou Dynasty court, with its vast resources and the support of national taxes, frequently faced situations where military pay could not be issued in various regions.

While corruption is a factor, it is enough to illustrate the enormous cost of supporting a fully-fledged military.

This Buddhist gathering attracted wealthy merchants from all over the country who were willing to donate money. These were friends of the Demon Spirit Cult and were naturally treated as honored guests.

If someone is unwilling to donate money, that person can stay, and their family can bring a large sum of money to ransom them.

This isn't the first time the Demon Spirit Cult has done something like this.

Of course, the reputation of the Demon Spirit Cult was not affected by this.

Because regardless of whether the person left behind pays ransom or not, their entire family will eventually be slaughtered by the Demon Spirit Cult. They don't want to ruin their good reputation.

……

The next morning, Jiang Yun had just woken up when he heard a great commotion of gongs and drums outside, as well as the sound of many monks chanting Buddhist scriptures.

As a 'distinguished guest,' disciples of the Demon Spirit Sect soon came over with breakfast and invited Jiang Yun to eat.

Jiang Yun didn't dare touch the food. He ate some of the dry rations he carried with him and drank the spring water he had brought with him.

He dared not casually put anything from the Demon Spirit Cult into his mouth.

After eating the dry rations, I went out of the room. Tuoba Anyi had already woken up and was sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea.

Seeing Jiang Yun get up, he greeted him warmly, "Brother, you're awake?"

As he spoke, he walked over, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then asked in a low voice, "Brother, what kind of commotion are you planning to cause yesterday?"

"secret."

Tuoba Anyi put his arm around Jiang Yun's shoulder: "Between you and me, is there still any secret to speak of?"

Before the words had even finished, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard of the side room; Protector Jin Yiping had arrived.

Jin Yiping smiled broadly and said, "Young Master Xiang, Elder Yuan Huan has come to visit you."

"Elder Yuan has just returned from the capital and is exhausted from the journey, but upon hearing that Young Master Xiang has arrived, he insisted on coming to meet you and have a chat."

The Demon Spirit Sect also attaches great importance to the Fang family in the north, so naturally, they sent an elder from within the sect to personally receive them this morning.

At this moment, Yuan Huan, supported by two people, walked in with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes.

Seeing Yuan Huan's state, Jin Yiping quickly whispered in his ear, "Elder Yuan, you need to cheer up a bit. The sect leader also values ​​the distinguished guests from the Xiang family in the north."

"You can just chat with him for a few minutes and then go back to rest."

Hearing this, Yuan Huan glanced at Jin Yiping and said in a low voice, "Qu Wushang is still alive, Xiao Jin. He's still alive. If he comes to our Demon Spirit Sect, we're finished. Even the sect leader is no match for him."

"The cult leader will be torn to pieces by him!"

"His sword is too fast!"

Seeing Yuan Huan's state of mind, Jin Yiping patted Yuan Huan on the shoulder: "You're afraid of Qu Wushang, but aren't you afraid of the sect leader?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huan finally came to his senses. He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, forced a smile, and looked ahead.

His gaze naturally fell on Tuoba Anyi: "This must be the young master of the Xiang family. He is indeed a handsome man... Damn..."

He caught a glimpse of Jiang Yun beside Tuoba Anyi, and for a moment, his brain went blank again.

What is he doing here!

By the way, he and Qu Wushang are in cahoots!

Qu Wushang is here!
Qu Wushang is here!
"Qu Wushang is here!" Yuan Huan roared, turned and ran. His strength was so great that he disappeared without a trace in an instant. Jin Yiping wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

When Jiang Yun saw Yuan Huan, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew in his heart that something was wrong, feeling that his identity was about to be exposed.

Jiang Yun was even prepared that if Yuan Huan revealed his true identity, he and Tuoba Anyi would fight to the death.

This also exposed Tuoba Anyi's true identity.

Unexpectedly, after Yuan Huan saw him, he immediately shouted that Qu Wushang was coming, and then turned around and ran away with a look of fear on his face.

Not buddy.

What is he doing?
Has this person really been driven mad by Qu Lanyu?
Watching Yuan Huan escape, and hearing his last words before leaving, "A handsome man indeed."

Tuoba Anyi's smile froze, and he stood there somewhat awkwardly, his gaze turning to Jin Yiping: "Your sect's way of praising people is rather uncommon..."

Jin Yiping could only grit his teeth and accept the reply: "This is how we praise people in our area... It's understandable that there are some cultural differences compared to the North where Young Master Xiang is from, right?"

Tuoba Anyi naturally gave the other party a way out, nodding.

There was no way to count on Elder Yuan Huan. Jin Yiping sighed. It seemed he would have to entertain Young Master Xiang himself.

"Let's go, Young Master Xiang, and your two companions, let's take a stroll in the square first."

Soon, Jiang Yun, Tuoba Anyi, and Qi Da followed Jin Yiping to the square outside the Daling Buddhist Temple, where gongs and drums were already being played.

Many monks in robes are praying and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

It must be said that in his previous life, Jiang Yun's Sanqing Temple was not far from a Buddhist temple.

I've heard a lot of Buddhist scriptures since I was a child.

The monks were reciting authentic Buddhist scriptures, Jiang Yun couldn't help but mutter to himself.

These guys from the Demonic Spirit Cult are really bold. Aren't they afraid of turning their act into reality? What if they manage to bring down Buddha and wipe them all out?
During this time, wealthy businessmen continued to arrive from below the steps.

A huge Buddha statue has also been erected in the square.

After these wealthy businessmen arrived, they were all received by special personnel. After worshipping Buddha, they were taken inside by members of the Demon Spirit Cult to discuss the matter of donating money.

Jiang Yun yawned, feeling rather bored.

Suddenly, a stunningly beautiful woman walked up to them.

Upon seeing this woman, Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat. He immediately lowered his head, afraid that she would recognize him. If she were discovered, he would be finished.

The newcomer was Xiao Min'er!

(End of this chapter)